Essay About WORLD CINEMA

You will choose and research  “Rome, Open City ” this film and situate its production within broader historical, cultural, and/or social contexts. For this paper, you are asked to include at least one historical review of the film (if it’s a non-Western film, you may use a historical review of the film written in English), secondary scholarly research on the film (minimum of three sources), and a minimum of three close scene analysesrelated to your discussion. You may wish to revise and expand the film you wrote about for your short film analysis paper. You may also wish to compare and contrast the film to one of the related recommended viewings. This paper constitutes 30% of your total grade for the class.

Papers should be written double-spaced with 1” margins in 12 point, Times New Roman font. Please format the final paper according to Chicago Manual of Style 16th edition format. http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Do not begin with over-generalizing comments about the art of cinema, or filmic storytelling throughout the world. You should assume your reader has seen the film, although if you feel it’s necessary, you can provide a one-two sentence plot synopsis on the film. Your introduction should launch directly into your thesis and main arguments. Remember that you need a central argument. The paper cannot simply be a descriptive, stream-of-consciousness rehashing of the film’s narrative and/or plot. You need to strive to explain the film(s) of your choosing by giving appropriate socio-cultural, political, and historical contexts. You may use the readings from the class for your required scholarly sources.

Example of a viable thesis/argument:

Ousmane Sembene’s Black Girl (1966) examines the sickness of the neocolonialist condition, an unhealthy relationship that negatively affects both colonizer and colonized. Sembene explores this idea through themes of imprisonment and slavery, false consciousness, and dehumanization, primarily through the film’s mise-en-scène. In this paper, I analyze the film’s mask motif, costuming, and the interior set designs to demonstrate how the first feature film made by a black African filmmaker intends to jolt Africans into realizing that true national liberation depends on nurturing one’s own indigenous culture, society, and politics.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Following the above formatting guidelines
• 6-7 pages in length, double-space
• At least three close scene analyses
• At least three scholarly sources
• One historical film review

GRADING CRITERIA:

• Clarity, precision, and persuasion of writing/argumentation. 30 points
• Originality of observations, analysis, and argument. 25 points
• Attention to cinematic technique and language. 25 points
• Organization, structure, and flow. 20 points